Convertible table and desk.



W. F. WEIDENBAUM.

CONVERTIBLE TABLE AND DESK. APPLICATION man MAR. 4. 1915.

1,163,291, Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I- W. F. WEIDENBAUM. CONVERTIBLE TABLE AND DESK.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4. 1915. 1,163,291.

COLUMBIA PLANIJGRAPN C0.,WASHINOTON, D1 c.

W. F. WEIDENBAUM.

CONVERTIBLE TABLE AND DESK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4. 1915.

m ll/Ill &

OLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. WEIDENBAUM, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, ASSIGNOR' To scIIRAIvIBROS.

COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIs, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

CONVERTIBLE TABLE AND DESK.

BAUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Convertible Tables and Desks, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of convertibletables and desks in which the table-top is forwardly slidable to uncovera sunken case, such as a case of pigeon-holes, to permit the latter tobe raised to extend above the table top at the rear side of the tablefor temporarily con verting the latter into a desk.

The features to which my improvements are more particularly directed arethe tabletop, by adapting it, upon moving it forwardly, to uncover thecase, to be moved backwardly partway, after raising the case, underneaththe latter to form a solid supporting bed therefor; to the table-drawer,to cause it to be moved with the top in adjusting the latter to itsdifferent positions, whereby the drawer is rendered equally acc'essiblein either of the table or desk positions of thetop; to an automaticallyadjustable gate for covering the face of the pigeon-hole case in itssunken position to preventthe contents of the pigeon-holes from fallingout, and for carrying the counterbalancing weight or weights for thecase; and to means for friction-ally controlling the raising andlowering of the case to tend to prevent slamming thereof into eitherposition. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing myarticle of furniture in its form of a desk; Fig. 2 is a section on line2, Fig.1; Fig. 8 is a section on line 3, Fig. i; Fig. e is a viewlikethat presented in Fig. 2, but showing the parts in the desk-formingposition; Fig-5 is a broken plan view of the article with the topremoved to disclose details; and Fig. 6 is a section on line 6, Fig. 2.f

The base portion of the article of furniture which is shown to includefour cornerlegs, may be of the design illustrated or of any otherdesired general design. vThe sidemembers 7 of the frame carry on theirupper edges strips 8, which project outwardly beyond the faces of thosemembers and are beveled along their outer edges to conform Specificationof Letters Patent. I

Application filed Martha 1915. Serial No. 12,075

Patented Dec. "7, 1915.

to the beveled inner edges of guide-cleats 9 on the bottom of thetable-top 10 at itslateral edges. The table-top is slidableback andforth on these strips and is confined on them against rising by thisbeveled junction with the cleats, A drawer 11 is supported in guides 12,on the under side of the table top, from which also extends a stop 13t0prevent pulling out the drawer, which is removable through an opening isprovided in the front member 14 of theframei A pigeon-hole case 15 issupported in the back of the table frame to" be lowered into it belowand raised out ofitabove the plane of, the table-top. As means for thusadjustab'ly supporting this case'are shown guidelegs '16 as extensionsof its rear cornersto' enter vertical guide recesses'l'? formed in theinner faces of the rear table-legs when the case is in its lowered orhoused position; andeach leg 16 has a link-connection 18 from its lowerend with the inner end of a lever 19, fulcrumed at 20 ina bearing on theinner face of the adjacent side-member 7 of the frame, these leversterminating at their opposite ends in feet 20. A board 21, forming agate for the pigeon-holecase in its housed position, is seated on andfastened at its ends to the lever feet. This gatecarries on its outerface counterba'lancing weights 22, one near each end, and on its endspivotal concavely faced brake shoes 23 to bear frictionally against thecurved edges of the guide-cheeks 24: rigidly secured in proper positionopposite each'other to the inner faces of the side frame-members 7 andeach'terminatin'g at its opposite ends in stops 25. Moreover, whenthecase 15 is raised into the desk-formin'gposition,it may be sustainedtherein by the shoes bearing downwardly against the guidecheek edgesadjacent the lower stops 25, unless the case be unduly heavy, as itwould be rendered by overloading the pigeon-holeswvith contents, inwhich event the section of the sliding top which enters underneath thecase will solidly support it.

The article has been converted into the desk represented in Figs. 1 and2 by drawing forwardly the table-top far enough to clear the case 15 andpermit it to be raised, the drawermoving with the table-top, andthereupon taking hold of the case of pigeonholes and raising it slightlyabove the plane of the table-top, which is then moved backwardlyunderneath the case as far as possible, when the case is presseddownwardly to rest on the table-top, whereby the latter affords a solidsupporting bed for the pigeonholes. In thus raisingthe case 15 it'wascounterbalanced throughout the movement by the weights 22, whichfurthermore served to press the shoes 23 against the curved guides 24,thereby tending to prevent slamming of the case into its raisedposition; and this movement of the pigeon-holes so turned the levers 19on their fulcrums as to lower the gate 21 away from its barrier positioninto that represented in Fig. 2. To convert the desk into a flat-toptable, the top 10 is again moved forwardly until is clears the forwardedge of the bottom of the case 15, which is then depressed to lower andhouse it in the frame, in attaining which position it is frictionallyguided by the brake-shoes bearing under the stress of the weightsagainst the curved edges of the cleats 24: in the same way as in raisingit in the manner described; and in the lowering movement theaccompanying turning of the levers on their fulcrums brings the gate infront of thepigeon-holes to form a barrier against dropping out of theircontents. As will be seen, the drawer always occupies the same positionrelatively to the table-top, so that with the latter in either of itstwo positions, the drawer is equally accessible.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details ofconstruction thus specifically shown and described, and I do not intendby illustrating a single, specific or preferred embodiment of myinvention to be limited thereto; my intention being in the followingclaims to claim protection upon all the novelty there may be in myinvention as fully as the state of the art will permit.

WVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a convertible table and desk provided with a rear case supportedto be raised and lowered for effecting the conversion, a top adjustableto cover the case in its lowered position and to extend underneath thecase in its raised position.

2. In a convertible table and desk, the combination with a frame, of acase supported in the rear part of the frame, to be raised into thedesk-forming position and depressed into the frame for lowering ittherein, and a table-top slidably supported on said frame to be movedforwardly for clearing said case and backwardly to cover said case whenlowered, and extended underneath the case in its raised position.

3. In a convertible table and desk, the combination with a frame, of apigeon-hole case supported in the frame to be raised into thedesk-forming position and depressed into the frame for housing ittherein, a gate connected with said case to be lowered by raising thelatter and raised into barrierp0- sition in front of the pigeon-holes bylowering said case, and a table-top adjustably supported on the frame.

l. In a convertible table and desk, the combination with a frame, of apigeon-hole case supported in the frame to be raised into thedesk-forming position and depressed into the frame for housing ittherein, a gate connected with said case to be lowered by raising thelatter and raised into barrier position in front of the pigeon-holes bylowering said case, a counterbalancing weight on the gate, frictionalguiding means on the frame and gate for guiding the gate in itsmovements, and a table-top adjustably supported on the frame.

5. In a convertibletable and desk, the combination with a frame, of apigeon-hole case, levers fulcrumed on the frame and havinglink-connections with said case, a weighted gate on said levers, pivotalbrakeshoes on the gate, curved guides on the sidemembers of the framefrictionally engaged by said shoes, and a table-top adjustably supportedon the frame.

6. In a convertible table and desk, the combination with a frame, of apigeon-hole case having depending guide-legs, levers fulcrumed on theframe and having linkconnections with said legs, a weighted gate on saidlevers, pivotal brake-shoes on the gate, cheeks on the oppositeside-members of the frame, forming curved guides provided with stops,and pivotal brake-shoes on the gate engaging said guides.

WILLIAM F. WEIDENBAUM.

In presence of ALBERT P. LUGGE, A. G. FIsoHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

